George m. ramos
Wooshjix̱oo Éesh
Culture Bearer
Wooshjix̱oo Éesh
Wooshjix̱oo Éesh was born in Yakutat, Alaska in 1929 to Judith and George Milton.
As a young boy, George was traditionally raised by his Coho clan uncle, in the Thunderbird House and learned the way of the Tlingit warrior and way of Tlingit life. He shared stories, of his childhood, of jumping from iceberg to iceberg hunting seals, fishing for salmon, and picking and eating wild strawberries. He joked with his grandchildren saying, “one strawberry for you, and two for me”.
George learned to sing and dance, from his uncles and elders, thousand year old Tlingit, Athabascan, and Eyak songs and dances. For more than 40 years, he volunteered and led the Mt. Saint Elias Dance Group of Yakutat, one of the oldest Native dance groups in Alaska. As group leader he taught several generations.
He was a cultural bearer, served on the Sealaska Heritage Institute Council of Traditional Scholars, was a Tlingit Advisor in “Sharing Knowledge” Project, Smithsonian Institute, his knowledge was the inspiration for the Yakutat Seal Camp Project, Smithsonian Institute. He is remembered in Yukon for being part of the Kwaday Dan Ts’enchi (Long Ago Person).
Yéil
Lʼuknax̱.ádi
Xíxch’ Hit
Work, School, & Service
Wooshjix̱oo Éesh graduated from Mt. Edgecumbe High school, class of 1952.
He was a Police officer and magistrate in Yakutat, Alaska. He went to Cleveland, Ohio where he earned his Certificate in Higher Accounting from Griswold Business College, in 1966. Before working for Alaska Airlines for 20+ years, he was a cook at Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital.
George was a disabled Korean Veteran with 40 years of service to his country. He started his service in 1950 in the Army National Guard, then the Army, and served as a Tank Commander in the 95th Tank Company, 196th ROT, Fort Richardson, where he taught cold weather tank maneuvers. He also served in the Army Reserve, from which he retired as a First Sergeant, in 1990, with many medals and commendations for his service.
He was a lifelong commercial fisherman and hunter.
